Now, I come from Hong Kong, where not booking is the norm at casual establishments like 大牌檔 (dai pai dongs) or 茶餐廳 (cha chan tangs), and also at dim sum, where you stalk tables by standing right by them until the people are so peeved they leave. So I am used to no reservations.
But we put up with this because we know there is a quick turnaround, and you rarely wait for more than 20 minutes. In Sydney, no reservations policies are designed to simply piss you off. Or maybe, as someone has also suggested, there is simply so little to do in Sydney, waiting in 2.5 hour queues becomes entertainment.
Let me describe though a good experience at Bodega on Commonwealth St, Surry Hills. Meghana, Jess and I had been debating whether to go to Billy Kwongs all night, but decided we didn't want to be disappointed by it, so by the time we headed to Bodega, it was nearly 9pm. Lucky for us, as soon as we walked in, there was a table for us - woo! Unlucky for others, the people who were seated after us had waited 2.5 hours!!
The food was excellent, but probably not excellent enough for a 2.5 hour wait. Bodega is a tapas bar with style, the type of establishment that doesn't serve sangria ("we are not a Mexican cantina", said the waiter), but the tapas is inventive. We had (copied from Bodega online menu, my memory isn't that good):
- Spiced pumpkin and feta empanadas - a bit meh
- Chorizo “a la sidra"- cooked in cider, the cider taste really came out
- Tortilla of potato, caramelized onion & taleggio - also a bit meh
- Fried spiced calamari with aioli - can rival the crack calamari at Busaba in London!
- Stuffed red pepper with lamb and pine nuts - very inventive (see pic below)
- Seared scallops on pickled Wagyu tongue - my favourite of all, sweet and sharp and soft
We also discovered Spanish cider (Sidra Escanciador) - light, refreshing, although not sure whether it would be good in cider & black :)But now for the real unpleasantries of no reservations policies. Many people have told me I should go to Longrain, also on Commonwealth St in Surry Hills, particularly as I liked Spice I Am so much. So off we went with Tristian when her lovely friend Pontus (great name) came to visit from Tokyo.
As soon as we walked in the door (manned by this tinny girl whose only job was to smile at customers), we were told 2.5 hours wait. Gah. But we can go sit at the trendy bar and sip $20 watery cocktails! Woo.
The frustrating thing about Longrain is that it is just so poorly designed. The entrance is just a complete waste of space (with a ramp?!), and they can just convert the bar into more dining tables if they weren't making so much money on the cocktails. We ended up huddling round one of the tables at the bar and ordering from the bar menu instead. Tiny tiny portions at around $16 a go, here is the trout in betel leaf:
I shall stick to Spice I Am in future (also no reservations, but very quick turnaround, and much better value for money)
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